Not I
by RAC
Summary: Dawn, finally graduating from high school, runs into someone from her past. But is it really her?


****

Not I

"Eww!" whined Dawn as she dumped the contents of the pitcher down the drain. 

"What on Earth possessed you to try to mix strawberry Kool-Aid and milk?" asked Buffy, as she watched the bright pink liquid move around in the sink, mixing with the water and creating pink swirls all over. "You _do _know that is not the way they make strawberry milk, right?"

"Okay, so it turned out bad!" said Dawn. Buffy shot her a glance. Dawn rolled her eyes. "Just like you said it would," she added. Buffy smiled and turned away.

"I am going to go see Xander at the site. Did you want to tag along?" Buffy asked.

"Well, no… Actually…" Dawn looked at her sister, hoping she would take the hint.

"You want to use the car, don't you?"

"Yeah. Is it okay? I will put gas in it," Dawn said.

"It's your money," Buffy said with a shrug of her shoulders. "By the way, are you working tonight?"

"Nope! Don't go back to work until Monday evening!"

  
"Whoa!" exclaimed Buffy. "How'd you manage that one?"

"I slept with the boss," Dawn explained. Buffy's eyes bulged and her jaw dropped. Dawn started laughing. "You really thought I would do that? Please, Buffy." She waved her hand to dismiss it all. "I asked for a couple of extra nights off, since I am done with school, and this is my last weekend before graduating. Summer school was more than worth it." Dawn shook her head, clearing her thoughts. She continued: "Anyway, they know that they can't replace me, and it is easier for them to give me two extra days off this week than to try to find someone to do my job half as well."

"Oh," said Buffy. She sat on a chair in the kitchen and stared at her sister.

"What?" asked Dawn.

"You've just grown up so much in the last year. That's all."

Dawn grabbed her keys and smiled at Buffy. She was glad that Buffy had settled down. Ever since they defeated the First last year, things had been so great between Buffy and Dawn. Of course, the large wad of money they got from the Council of Watchers had helped. It was because of that money that the two girls had been able to get a place. And, with Buffy no longer so concerned about being the Slayer, she had learned to move on with her life. Now, each of them was working, so they had two incomes, and, even though Dawn was still in school, Buffy was treating her more and more like an equal than a "kid sister." Dawn was in heaven.

Fifteen minutes later, they were at the site. Because of his missing eye, Xander wasn't able to do as much of the work as he used to, but he still made a great supervisor. At least, that is what the head of the construction company said. Dawn still believed that their jobs, at least to start with, were more "perks" from the Council. She knew for a fact that the Council had pulled some strings to make Buffy a social worker. Willow and Kennedy ran the local magic shop, and Giles had moved back to England, where he was head of the Council. Life was good. 

Faith and Principal Wood had headed off to Cleveland, certain that they were going to close another Hellmouth. They wrote and told Dawn how boring it was there. Seems the demons in Ohio are not as active as the ones in California. The only one she had lost track of was Andrew. He had tried to cast a spell of some sort, and no one had seen him since.

"Hey, Dawnie!" called Xander. No matter how old she got, she still liked it when he called her that.

"Hi, Xan," she called back as she screeched to a halt.

"If you are gonna drive like that," began Buffy. But, Dawn cut her off.

"I know, I know… I won't be allowed to take the car." She got out of the car and gave Xander a big hug.

"So, what are your plans, Dawn?" asked Xander.

"Going to the mall! I have some money saved up, and I plan to put a nice sized dent in it before the weekend is over," she told him. Then, she pulled him close, in another hug, and whispered in his ear: "Don't tell Buffy."

"Okay," he said with a smile. He turned and went off in the other direction. Dawn looked around, and saw Buffy standing by the car still. She walked over, and Buffy smiled at her.

"What's going on?" Dawn asked, suddenly very suspicious. Buffy's smile widened, and she grabbed Dawn and pulled her in for a hug. 

"I am so proud that you will be graduating next week. I… Well, Xander and I… We got you something." Buffy's smile widened yet again and she held out a little box that was wrapped in shiny black paper and tied with a bright white ribbon. Dawn took it carefully, as if she was afraid it might bite her. She opened it, and pulled out an air freshener shaped like a tree.

"Uh… Thanks. I guess," said Dawn as she stared blankly at the air freshener.

"You're so mean," said Xander. His voice, coming from behind, scared Dawn. She spun around and looked at him. He was smiling, too. 

"Okay," said Dawn. "What is going on?" Then, she caught on. Her eyes lit up, and she squealed with delight. "You got me… A car?"

"Yeah," replied Xander, as if it was something she should have already known. Dawn wrapped her arms around him and hugged him.

"Oh, thank you!" She stepped back from him and turned to face her sister. "You, too," she said as she grasped Buffy's wrists and pulled her into an embrace. Buffy hugged her back, and then stepped back.

"Now… It isn't anything fancy. We couldn't afford a new car, of course. So… We got… Well, it's over here," explained Buffy as she led Dawn to one of the sheds on the site. They opened the door, and inside sat a shiny blue Jetta.

"Oh!" exclaimed Dawn.

"It needed some work, but it is fine now," said Xander. 

"Huh?" asked Dawn. 

"The car," said Buffy. "I wish it could have been something new, but…"

"No! Buffy, Xander, I _love_ this car! I don't care that it isn't new! I can't wait to drive it!"

"Well," said Buffy, obviously surprised. "I am glad that you like it. Oh! You'll need these." She held the keys up in front of Dawn. Dawn reached up and grabbed them, and then ran to the car. She stopped before she opened the door.

"I… Thanks! But… Are you sure it is okay for me to just leave? I mean, I feel kinda… Rude. You guys went through all this trouble, and here I am, ready to race away…"

"It's fine, Dawn," said Buffy. "Just, don't forget about the graduation party tomorrow afternoon, okay?"

"Okay!" she screamed as she opened the door and climbed inside. She started the engine and pulled out of the shed, slowly. "I love this car!" she screamed again. Then, as Buffy and Xander watched her, she sped away.

***

She didn't get more than three blocks before disaster struck. The light was green, and she was going through the intersection, when a vehicle came into the intersection from the side, and smashed into her. Dawn screamed as the car spun around and came to a stop. She gripped the steering wheel tightly, trying to calm down. She checked herself over, and realized she was not hurt. She took off her seat belt and opened the car door. When she looked over at the driver of the other vehicle, she gasped and covered her mouth with her hands.

Dawn just stood there, mesmerized, as the woman got out of her vehicle and walked over to where Dawn was standing. The woman spoke to her, but Dawn didn't hear anything. She couldn't move. She couldn't speak. Most of all, she couldn't believe what she was seeing. Her mind raced. There had to be an explanation. Was it a spell? Had the First returned? Was she dreaming? The last one seemed to be the most likely explanation. Finally, she was able to move. She pinched herself on the arm, and cried out. The woman standing in front of her took a step backward.

"Are… Are you real?" Dawn asked. She reached out and touched the woman's arm. "Tara!" she exclaimed as she threw her arms around the woman and hugged her tightly. "I've missed you so much!"

"Hey!" screeched the woman. "Back off, girl! What are you doing?"

"Tara?" asked Dawn as she stepped back from the woman.

"What? My name isn't Tara. It's Vicki. Um… Did you hit your head? Maybe you should sit down until the medics get here."

"No," said Dawn. "I… I'm fine. I just thought… You look like someone I used to know."  


"I guessed that," said Vicki. "Look, I am really sorry about your car. I… I will pay for all the damage, and…"

"Huh? What? Oh… Yeah. I forgot," said Dawn sheepishly. "Oh! My new car!" she cried as she turned to look. "No way," she whispered as she saw the car. The only damage was a dent above the rear tire. "How… I mean, is that even possible?" she asked.

"I… I guess it must be," said Vicki with a laugh. "I don't know how, though. I'll check my car." Vicki walked over to her own car, a beat up, faded gray car that Dawn did not recognize. It wasn't something she was familiar with. They checked it, and there was some minor damage to the bumper and a little bit of blue paint, but other than that, there was nothing wrong. The girls looked at each other.

"This is so weird," said Vicki.

  
"Story of my life," muttered Dawn.

"Huh?" asked Vicki.

"Oh, nothing."

"Okay. Sure," replied Vicki. "So, maybe we should exchange information? You'll need to know how to contact me when you find out how much it is going to cost to get your car fixed."

"Yeah. Okay. I… I'll go get some paper. We keep some in the… Oh! I forgot! This isn't our car!"

"What? It isn't your car?" asked Vicki. She sounded panic-stricken, and Dawn could see by the look on her face that the woman was terrified.

  
"Oh, no… It's my car, but… I just got it. Literally. See, I am graduating next week, and my sister got me this car as a present, and I just left the place where I got it," explained Dawn. Vicki's expression changed, and when she spoke again, she was much calmer.

"Oh," sighed Vicki. "I am so glad that we won't have to get anyone else involved." Then, when she saw the look on Dawn's face, she added: "I… I don't really have insurance, and my driving record isn't really best, so…"

"I get it. We can keep this between us, I guess. Only…"

"Only what?"

"I need to know how I am supposed to explain this to my sister. I just got this car, and already there is a big dent in the side."

"Oh. I… Is there a way I can help you explain it to her?"

"Hmm… I think there might be. But, first, we had better exchange information, and get our cars out of the street."

"Good thinking," said Vicki. They went to Vicki's car and she pulled a small notebook and pen out of her purse. She wrote out her information, pulled the page out of the notebook, and then handed everything to Dawn. Dawn scribbled down her information and handed the notebook back to Vicki.

"Listen," said Dawn. "There is a small café about half a block from here… Could we continue this conversation there? I could use a drink."

"Sounds good to me," agreed Vicki.

The place was practically empty, so they had their choice of seats. They chose a booth in the back, and sat down. A waitress came over immediately and asked what they would like to drink. Vicki gave her order, and Dawn just stared at her. Then, after the waitress asked her for her order, for the third time, Dawn ordered coffee and a pastry.

"What was that all about?" asked Vicki after the waitress had left.

"Remember when I told you that you look like someone I used to know?"

"Yeah. So?"

"Well, you just ordered the same thing she liked. It kinda freaked me out for a moment." Dawn lowered her eyes, as her mind filled with memories of Tara. She grabbed the napkin and wiped the tears from her eyes.

"Hey," squeaked Vicki. She cleared her throat. "Are you sure you are okay?"

"Yeah. I am fine. Really. It's just… Oh, never mind. It's not important. What is important is how I am going to explain that dent to Buffy. That's my sister. Buffy."

"I see. Well… I don't know your sister, so I guess you will need to be the one to come up with the plan?"

The waitress appeared, carrying a tray. She placed the food and drinks on the table, asked if the girls needed anything else, and when they said that they were fine, she smiled at them one last time before turning away and disappearing into the kitchen.

"I guess so," said Dawn after the waitress was gone. "Would… Would you be willing to come home with me, and talk with her? To let her know that things are taken care of, and that I am not just an irresponsible child?"

"I… I don't know. What if she wants to call the police?"

"I'll talk her out of it. I swear. Please? I can't look like a child in front of her right now. I have worked too hard to get her to treat me like an adult. After everything we have been through, this is just the sort of thing that could mess everything up between us."

"I don't know. I…"

"I'll pay for half of the damages myself!" uttered Dawn, before she was even aware that she had opened her mouth. She didn't know why, but she felt that she needed Buffy to see Vicki. As if that would prove to Dawn that Vicki was real, and not some dream.

"I… Alright. I will."

After they finished their coffee and pastries, they got up and left. As they stepped out of the café, Dawn realized that they hadn't paid, and she turned to go back in. Then, she stopped and grabbed Vicki's arm. Vicki turned and looked at her, just as the waitress stepped out of the café.

"You two didn't pay!" hissed the waitress. Vicki's face reddened, and Dawn let go of her. Then, Dawn reached into her pocket and pulled out a ten-dollar bill. She handed it to the waitress.

"Here. Keep the change. Sorry about not paying." Then, before the waitress could reply, Dawn grabbed Vicki again and pulled her away.

***

"Don't freak out, okay?" Dawn said as she walked into the apartment she shared with Buffy, and found her sister standing by the sofa.

"How can you start a conversation with that, and expect me to not do it?"

"Just promise you will let me explain before you say anything. Please?"

"Okay. I will listen. What did you do?"

"Nothing," said Dawn. "But… There was an accident, and…"

"What? Are you okay?" 

"I'm fine," said Dawn. Buffy could hear the aggravation in her voice.

"Sorry. Listening."

"I was hit by another car. Neither vehicle is damaged all that much, and there were no injuries, but now my car has a dent in the side, but it really wasn't my fault, and I have already gotten everything taken care of, so there is nothing for you to be upset about so just stay calm and I don't really know why I am babbling like this, but I just don't want you to be upset with me, because it really wasn't my fault, it was Vicki's, and she already agreed to pay for it."

"Breathe, Dawn, breathe," said Buffy. "Now… Who is this Vicki person?"

"She's the one who hit me. She is in the hall, waiting for me to let her in. But… Promise me you won't freak out, okay?"

"Dawn!" hissed Buffy. "Would you stop saying that? I am not going to freak out!"

"Okay. Here goes."

Dawn opened the door and stepped out of the way. For a moment, there was an eerie silence, and no one moved. Dawn was certain that Vicki had left. Or, worse, that Vicki had never existed in the first place. Dawn reached into her pocket and retrieved the paper on which Vicki had written her name, address and phone number. She was opening it, expecting to find the page blank, when Vicki stepped into the apartment. Dawn heard Buffy gasp, and looked up just in time to see her sister fall onto the sofa. Vicki jumped, obviously startled by Buffy's reaction. Dawn didn't know what to do next.

"You know," said Vicki, "you are the second one to react that way after looking at me. Do I have something on my face?"

"N-no," stammered Buffy.

"You have someone else's face," said Dawn. Buffy nodded and Vicki turned to face Dawn.

"I am sorry for my reaction," began Buffy, "but I was not prepared for that. You… You look so much like Tara. Our friend, I mean."

"I know. Dawn explained," said Vicki, as if this sort of thing happened to her every day. She sat on a chair opposite Buffy and explained what had happened. 

"I see. Well, it sounds like you have it all under control," Buffy said. 

"That's it?" Dawn asked. "No lectures on responsibility? No screaming or yelling or treating me like a baby?"

"No. I know you are responsible Dawn. If I didn't, I would not have given you a car. Besides, you handled it already. Do you want a lecture?"

"No! I… I just thought…"

"Dawn, you're practically an adult. The last year has proven to me that you can handle yourself just fine. I trust you."

"You do?"

"Yeah," said Buffy, laughing slightly. "Is there a reason I shouldn't?"

"No! Not at all. I just… Thanks."

"No problem. Now, if you will excuse me, I have some last minute shopping to do. I will see you later."

Buffy hugged Dawn, got her keys, and left. Dawn wasn't sure what to think. Things had certainly been weird lately, and they just seemed to get stranger as the hours passed. After Buffy had left, Dawn sighed and sat on the sofa, when Buffy had been sitting just moments before. 

"Are you okay?" asked Vicki as she leaned forward and touched Dawn's arm. As she did, something fell out of her shirt and hung in the air.

"Huh? Oh, yeah. It's just been a very strange day." Dawn's eyes never left the object in front of her. It seemed to just be hovering there, spinning around as if dancing for her. "What is that?" Dawn asked.

"This?" asked Vicki as she grabbed the object out of the air. She moved closer to Dawn, and held the object in her hand. Dawn could see that it was a gold coin, surrounded by a silver band, which had a loop on the top of it. She also noticed, for the first time, the thin silver chain that held it. "This is… Well, it's a good luck charm, I suppose. My father gave it to me a few years ago." Vicki reached up and took the necklace off. She held it out to Dawn. "Look, it has the same design on both sides. It's a face of some sort."

Dawn examined the coin. It was beautiful. There was a woman's face on each side, and Dawn couldn't see any difference in the two pictures. There was some sort of design going around the edge of coin, and Dawn thought is seemed familiar, but wasn't sure where she had seen it before. Then she recognized it. It was writing! 

"Oh!" she cried as she jumped to her feet. "I wonder if I can translate the writing on here?"

"Don't waste your time. I already know what it says."

"Really? What does it say?"

"It says: For your protection."

"That's it?" asked Dawn, unable to hide her disappointment.

"Yup. That's it. But, the story behind it is rather interesting."

"Really?"

"Yes, the woman on the coin… No one seems to know her name. She is always just referred to as Guardian Mother. She was said to have magical powers that enabled her to protect a family of three from a demon named Lohesh." Vicki shrugged. "That's about all I know about it. Well, other than the fact that I feel safer when I wear it."

"So… Do you practice witchcraft?" asked Dawn. She couldn't believe what she was saying.

"Yeah. I do. Is that a problem?"

"No! No! Quite the opposite, really. Do… I mean… Are you any good at it?"

"Well, I don't like to brag, but… I am pretty good. Why?"

"Cool! Wanna do a spell with me, then?"

***

"Dawn!" called Buffy as she opened Dawn's bedroom door and walked in. "Xander, Willow and Kennedy should be here in a few moments! What are you—"

"Oh!" cried Dawn and Vicki. They were sitting Indian-style on Dawn's bed, holding each other's hands and chanting. Several roses, which had been floating about the room just moments before, crashed to the floor.

"You made us mess up," whined Dawn.

"I… I didn't realize that Vicki was here. I… Dawn, we need to talk. Now!" said Buffy. She stood at the door and waited as Dawn and Vicki got off the bed and headed to the door. Buffy grabbed Dawn and pulled her out into the hallway. "Privately!" she hissed as she shut the door before Vicki could get to it.

"What the hell are you doing?" demanded Dawn.

"What am _I_ doing? What are you doing?"

"It's called witchcraft," hissed Dawn.

"No!" said Buffy. Then, she calmed down. "Not that. I don't care about that. You can do all the spells you want, as long as you clean up the aftermath." Dawn opened her mouth to say something, and Buffy put her hand over it, silencing her. "And, before you interrupt again, this is not anything against Vicki." Dawn looked perplexed.

"Then, what is it about?" Dawn asked.

"I just wonder if you have considered how Willow is going to react when she sees Vicki?"

"Oh my God! I… I never thought about it! I… I will ask Vicki to leave. I don't want to upset Willow."

Dawn went back into her room, and Buffy heard muffled voices. She turned and headed back to the kitchen, but there was a knock at the door, and she went to open it. She actually screamed when she saw Willow and Kennedy standing in the doorway. Both of her guests jumped, and were equally shocked when Buffy slammed the door in their faces. As Buffy leaned against the door, Dawn and Vicki entered the room. Buffy waved them back into the hall, and pointed at the door. Dawn turned and shoved Vicki backward, as Willow and Kennedy, who were both pushing the door open, pushed Buffy away from the door.

"What's going on?" asked Willow as she stepped into the apartment. She looked around, and then focused her attention on Buffy. "The place is as clean as it is gonna get, Buffy."

"Yeah," chuckled Buffy. "But, you can never be too careful…"

"I…" said Dawn. "I'll be right back." She then stepped into the hall and grabbed Vicki, who was just getting to her feet. The two of them staggered back into Dawn's room, falling to the floor just inside the door.

"Ow!" cried Vicki as Dawn landed on top of her. Dawn slapped her hand over Vicki's mouth and kicked her bedroom door closed.

"Dawn? Are you okay?" asked Willow.

"Fine! I just… Stubbed my toe! I'll be out in a minute." She looked down, and realized that she was still covering Vicki's body with her own. She rolled to the side, removing her hand from Vicki's mouth in the process.

"Are you trying to kill me?" screeched Vicki as she sat up. Dawn sat up beside her and put her finger to her lips.

"Shh!" she hissed. "I… I am really sorry about this, but I need you to be quiet, and not leave this room."

"What? Why?"

"Because… Because my friend out there is Tara's girlfriend! And, she is a very powerful witch, whose magic makes the spell we just did look like a cheap illusion! After Tara was killed, she went crazy and murdered a guy. If she sees you…"

"I…" gulped Vicki. "I'll be quiet. How long will I have to stay in here?"

"Um… I don't know. Shouldn't be more than three or four hours."

"Three or four hours?" yelled Vicki. She slapped her hands over her mouth as soon as she realized that she had yelled. Dawn looked at her, and then looked at the bedroom door. There was no noise outside. No footsteps could be heard in the hall.

"I… I know it isn't the best situation, but please… It could be a matter of life and death. I will try to get someone to distract her long enough to let you get out, okay?" Vicki only nodded her head. She still hadn't moved her hands.

Dawn stood up, brushed herself off, and stepped into the hallway. She gave Vicki a quick smile, and then closed the door and walked back to the living room. As she stepped out of the hallway, there was another knock at the door. Dawn crossed the room to the door and reached out to open it.

"That must be Xander," she called toward the kitchen as she turned the knob and pulled the door open.

"What?" asked Xander as he stepped out of the kitchen. Dawn spun around and stared at him, swinging the door open as she did so. Xander looked at her, waiting for an answer, as Dawn stared at him.

"Congratulations!" said Faith as she stepped into the apartment and hugged Dawn. Dawn turned to look at her.

"Faith?"

"No, I'm her twin, Hope," said Faith as she turned and crossed the room. "Hey, Xan, how are… Things?"

"What's wrong, Dawn?" asked Robin as he stepped into the apartment.

"Principal Wood?" 

"Robin! I am Robin. I haven't been a principal for more time than I actually was the principal," he said with a light laugh.

"Yeah. Sorry. It's just been a very weird day. I am glad that you are here."

"Where'd my wife get off to?" asked Robin.

"Faith went into the kitchen with Xander," Dawn answered absentmindedly. She realized that with all of them in the kitchen, she could get Vicki out of the apartment without Willow seeing her, so she rushed back to her room.

"Vicki," she cried as she opened the door to her room. "Hurry, we can get you out now!" She grabbed her friend and hauled her to her feet, not even paying attention to the fact that Vicki was still in the same position she had been in when Dawn had last seen her. Together, they rushed to the door. Dawn threw it open, and gasped. Giles was standing there, ready to knock. When he saw Vicki, he gasped, and stepped backward. He tripped and fell, dropping a box. The box made a loud crash as it hit the floor, and everyone rushed out of the kitchen, to see what had caused the commotion.

"What was that?" demanded Buffy.

"Yeah, what's going on?" asked Willow as she pushed her way to the front of the group. She stopped when she reached the front and saw Vicki.

"Willow, I…" Dawn began.

"Vicki?" asked Willow. "What are you doing here?" Buffy and Dawn looked at each other, both of them too shocked to speak. Vicki smiled.

"I am here for Dawn," said Vicki.

"You mean… You two know each other?" demanded Buffy.

"Yeah," said Willow. "Vicki here is one of our best customers. You should have been there the first time I saw her, though. That was…" She looked at the expressions on Dawn and Buffy's faces. "What?"

"You mean, this is the one you were trying to hide me from?" asked Vicki. Dawn and Buffy nodded. Willow and Vicki burst out laughing. After a moment, Buffy and Dawn joined in.

"Um…" said Giles. "Could I get a little help here?" He was trying to get up, but the way the box fell, it had him half pinned. Xander quickly grabbed the box while Robin and Faith helped Giles get to his feet. "Now," Giles said, "Could someone please explain to me what is going on?" Buffy, Dawn, Vicki and Willow started laughing again, and Giles threw his arms up in defeat. 

"I thought this was supposed to be a party!" said Kennedy.

"It is," said Dawn as she closed the door to the apartment.


End file.
